At least 18 people lost their lives after a passenger ferry carrying more than 300 people sank near an island in the southern Philippines early Monday.
Triggering a large-scale rescue operation, search crews rescued 317 people who were on board the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, but at least 24 people are still missing, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the cause of the incident was not immediately clear, though authorities have launched an investigation.
Officials said the cargo and passenger ferry encountered technical trouble shortly after midnight, AP reported. The steel-hulled vessel suddenly listed to one side before water rushed in, throwing passengers into the sea in complete darkness. A survivor described scenes of chaos as people struggled to stay afloat.
“My wife lost hold of our baby and all of us got separated at sea,” Mohamad Khan told volunteer rescuer Gamar Alih, who later shared a video of Khan’s account on Facebook.
He said he and his wife were rescued, but their six-month-old child drowned. Khan’s wife was seen weeping as he narrated the tragedy.
The ferry had departed from the port city of Zamboanga and was en route to Jolo island in Sulu province. It was carrying 332 passengers and 27 crew members when it sank about a nautical mile, or nearly two kilometres, from the island village of Baluk-baluk in Basilan province, coast guard Commander Romel Dua told AP.
“There were two coast guard safety officers on board and they were the first to call and alert us to deploy rescue vessels,” Dua said, adding that both officers survived the sinking.
The search effort involves divers, coast guard and navy ships, a surveillance aircraft, an air force Black Hawk helicopter, and several fishing boats. Authorities were still searching for about two dozen people believed to be missing off the coast of Basilan.
Officials are also verifying reports that 15 passengers listed on the ship’s manifest chose not to board at the last moment and received fare refunds. If confirmed, the number of missing would be lower, Dua said.
Maritime accidents remain frequent in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, due to a combination of rough weather, aging vessels, overcrowding, and weak enforcement of safety rules, particularly in remote areas.
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